Labour's 'soap opera' politics won't beat Reform UK. But the Greens just showed how to do it

The Budget increased the Scottish child payment, which will help to reduce child poverty, and introduced other measures to help Scots with the cost of living, while determining income tax rates and spending on public services.

The Scottish Government is a minority administration, and the legislation received backing from the Liberal Democrats this year. In return for their support, the Liberal Democrats claimed wins in priority policy areas for their party. Such is the nature of the Holyrood parliament where, unlike at Westminster, a more proportionate system is in place meaning that parties usually need to do deals with others to get anything done.

Labour’s Budget abstention spoke volumes

Inevitably, the Liberals were attacked by Labour for their decision. Labour, who declared very early in the process that they would abstain, absented themselves from the Budget negotiations. It is difficult to see what, if anything, they achieved in one of the key moments in the political calendar.

Now, far be it from me to defend the Liberal Democrats, they do not need me to do that, but isn’t it the point that in politics we put forward ideas, and we discuss and debate them?

Too often, we are falling into the Westminster trap of treating politics like a soap opera rather than a forum to talk seriously about policy. Democracies are better at decision-making and their citizens have better quality of lives, resulting in the admittedly messier way in which we do business. We discuss, debate, scrutinise and disagree on matters of substance.

A bombshell announcement

I was reminded of Labour’s empty rhetoric around the Budget process when the leader of their Scottish party, Anas Sarwar, called for the Prime Minister to resign. Now, that would have come as a surprise to many, since Scottish Labour politicians are among the most steadfastly loyal towards Keir Starmer.

When other Labour figures have rebelled on matters of substance such as the winter fuel payment, our relationship with the EU or the two-child benefit cap, among other issues, Scottish Labour mostly backed the government to the hilt. One Scottish Labour MP who did step out of line on the two-child cap was promptly chucked out of the party.

When Anas Sarwar decided that he had had enough and made his bombshell announcement, having been so loyal, we all wondered what could have been the trigger? It hadn’t been on fuel costs, child poverty or National Insurance increases on small businesses.

Could it have been about our relationship with Europe, so expensive, or the Internal Market Act, that strips the Scottish Parliament of some of its powers? Maybe on funding for public services? Perhaps they’d had enough of sending Labour members to the Lords?

None of the above. Instead, it turned out that Anas Sarwar was simply worried about his chances at the Holyrood elections in May. All politics and no policy.

Say what you believe in

This is problematic for us all. If we simply reduce our politics to process and a soap opera, it has an impact on everyone. With the rise of Reform UK’s empty populist rhetoric, that is more important than ever before.

I have no doubt that the Prime Minister is a decent man, as are many in Labour, but people deserve to know what they actually stand for. During a time of greater polarisation, people expect their politicians to say what they believe in.

One of this week’s ‘other’ political events, the Gorton and Denton by-election, showed that parties who clearly state their views – in this case the Green Party of England and Wales – can take on and defeat Reform.

They managed to do so even though Nigel Farage’s outfit threw everything at the by-election. Labour made a huge effort too, with Westminster empty of their MPs for most of the week as the whips sent them to the constituency to campaign – all to no avail.

Similarly, like it or not, the SNP has run the Scottish Government on a clear policy platform and has a clear vision for what the country’s future should hold. The SNP believes that Scotland would be better off as an independent state within the EU. The evidence provided by all our neighbours backs that argument up. Outside the EU, the UK is getting worse off, whereas every state that has joined the EU has become better off.

Democracy depends on respectful debate

You can disagree with that but democracies are better places to live in and make better decisions than autocracies. Democratic Europe has transformed the lives of its citizens but that requires us saying what we believe in and trusting the public to make the right choices.

The emptiness of Reform’s far-right politics has already damaged the UK and could do much worse. It needs challenged head on.

The lesson from this week in Manchester and Holyrood is set out what you believe in and let the people decide. It is right that we scrutinise process in politics, but we need to make some space for substantive policy ideas. We must continue to disagree respectfully; in fact our democracy and well-being depend on it.

Stephen Gethins is the MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry